Ryan Rickelton, like many cricketers, faced a period of self-doubt when transitioning from domestic to international cricket. Despite being one of the top run-scorers in domestic cricket for several seasons, he questioned whether he could replicate that success on the global stage.
His doubts deepened during his debut innings, where, on 98 runs and batting in his favored No. 3 position, he found himself unsure whether he had actually hit the ball during a critical moment. Fortunately, he refrained from walking away and avoided being dismissed leg before wicket (lbw).
On the verge of scoring his first Test century and proving his capability in international cricket, Rickelton decided to review umpire Joel Wilson’s decision. With all three reviews still available to South Africa, he challenged the call despite being uncertain about his dismissal. Fortunately, replays confirmed that his bat had made contact with the ball, even though he remained unsure.
“I didn’t think I hit it at all,” he said during the press conference the following day. “I think I might have gotten a little bit lucky there with some scratches on the Ultra Edge. I reviewed it because I was on 98 and thought maybe it was outside the line, but I didn’t feel anything.”
He further reflected, “I’ve been in and around this team for probably about four or five years, having played a handful of games, but I’ve always believed that I can do something useful at the international level. It was always just a case of whether I could do it and prove it to myself.”
Rickelton emphasized the hard work he had put in to achieve success. “So it was a relief to say to myself, ‘I’ve waited my time, but I can do it.’ Because there are always doubts. They live in everyone; they definitely live in me. After a couple of failures here and there, I wondered, ‘Am I actually… Can I do it? Am I just talking about a good game?’ It was a relief to be able to do it, and do it for the team as well,” he added.
It was a significant achievement for Rickelton to play in the top-order batting lineup and rescue his team from a difficult situation, delivering a standout performance in his first international Test match.
Rickelton seized the opportunity, demonstrating his ability to handle challenging situations. “Playing against the new ball in red-ball cricket actually helps me; it tightens me up,” he explained. “If I come in at No. 5 or 6, I actually get a bit too loose or maybe too expansive. I had my game plan, having had some relative success domestically in the past, and just tried to stick to it for long parts of the day.”
He added, “Being 44 for 3 solidified my plan. We were in a bit of trouble, so I knew I had to tighten up even more. Cricket’s funny. I think the better things go, the looser individuals become. I’m one of those guys.
Under pressure, I made myself tighten up, and luckily for me, Temba [Bavuma] was seeing it really well and playing incredibly well. He actually took a lot of pressure off me by scoring so freely on what was actually quite a tough morning.”
